Pneumatic toy stove accessory

ABSTRACT

Air is directed up through a sparger ring in a pan having a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying on the sparger ring and having its edges sealed with water. Air is trapped under food-simulating member until fluid pressure overcomes the seal and a bubble escapes. Seal is then reestablished until next bubble escapes. Escaping bubbles agitate the food-simulating member and water to simulate frying food in cooking oil.

United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,831,314

Bass et al. Aug. 27, 1974 PNEUMATIC TOY STOVE ACCESSORY [75] Inventors: Sidney Bass, Los Angeles; Hubert A. l Mancefne Rich Westminster both of Calif Assistant Examzner-Robert F. Cuttmg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Max E. Shirk; Franklin D. [73] Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif. Jankosky [22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 400,771 [57] ABSIRACT v Air is directed up through a sparger ring in a pan having a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying on [52] us. Cl. 46/14, 46/44, 46/243 M the Sparger ring and having its edges Sealed with [51 hit. Cl A63ll 33/30 ter. hi trapped under food simulating member until [58] Fleld of Search 46/14, 44, 92, 243 M fl i pressure overcomes the Seal and a bubble capes. Seal is then reestablished until next bubble es- [56] References Clted capes. Escaping bubbles agitate the food-simulating UNITED TATE PATENT member and water to simulate frying food in cooking 2,844,912 7/1958 Sebesta 46/92 I 3,120,717 2/1964 Glass et al. 46/l4 5 Cl 4 D 3,205,610 9/1965 Palumbo et al 46/14 alms, rawmg F'gures PNEUMATIC TOY STOVE ACCESSORY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains generally to the field of pneumatic toy stove accessories and more particularly to a pneumatic simulated food-frying pan.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art known to Applicant is listed by way of illustration, but not of limitation, in separate communications to the United States Patent Office.

The present invention exemplifies improvements over this prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful pneumatic toy stove accessory.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simu lated food-frying pan including pump means for supply ing fluid under pressure to the pan.

According to the present invention, a pneumatic toy stove accessory is provided and includes a pan having a substantially flat bottom wall, fluid inlet means in the bottom wall. a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying flat on the fluid inlet means, means sealing at least the peripheral edge of the food-simulating member against a predetermined fluid pressure and pump means in fluid communication with the fluid inlet means for supplying fluid thereto. Fluid is then trapped under the food-simulating member until the predetermined fluid pressure is exceeded whereupon a bubble or two escapes and the edge is again sealed until the predetermined pressure is again exceeded causing another bubble to escape. Bubbles continue to escape as long as fluid pressure is supplied to the fluid inlet means and these escaping bubbles agitate the food-simulating member to simulate frying food in cooking oil.

Water is preferably used as the sealing means and the water is also agitated by the escaping bubbles to simulate boiling of the cooking oil.

The fluid inlet means maycomprise a sparger ring or a series of apertures in the bottom of the pan and this sparger ring may be engaged on the fluid inlet means. An umbrella-type flapper valve may be mounted in the pan to cover the apertures so that the water will not escape from the pan.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of use. together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic toy stove accessory constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawings, a pneumatic toy stove accessory constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, generally designated 10, includes a pneumatic toy stove 12 having a front wall 14, a side wall 16 and a top wall 18. Top wall 18 is provided with suitable fluid outlet means which is shown herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, as comprising an air-outlet orifice 20 (FIG. 2) having a substantially frusto-conical body portion 22 provided with an air-outlet aperture 24 communicating with an air inlet 26.

Accessory 10 also includes a conduit 28 having a first end 30 connected to air inlet 26 and a second end 32 connected to the outlet 34 of an air pump or blower 36. Blower 36 includes an impeller 38 having an input shaft 40 connected by a coupling 42 to the output shaft 44 on a small electric motor 46. The electric power for electric motor 46 may be supplied by a dry cell 48 resilie'ntly held in place in a battery housing 50 by pressure between battery contact 52 and a resilient electrically conductive member 54, which is mounted on a wall 56 of battery compartment 50 and which is operatively connected to motor 46 by a lead 58, and by pressure between the base 60 of dry cell 48 and a resiliently mounted, electrically conductive lug 62, which is mounted on stove wall 16 and which is operatively connected to motor 46 through a switch 64 and an electrical lead 66. Switch 64 may be slideably mounted in wall 16 and includes a slideable contact 68 engageable with a first metal strip 70, which is connected to lug 62, and a second metal strip 72, which is connected to lead 66. Blower 36 and motor 46 may be mounted in battery compartment 50 and are separated from battery 48 by a partition 74.

Referring now more in particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, accessory 10 also includes a simulated cooking vessel or pan 76 having a substantially flat bottom wall 78 from which a sparger ring 88 depends for engagement with body portion 22 of orifice means 20. Sparger ring 88 includes a plurality of apertures, like the ones shown at 90, 92, for admitting fluid under pressure to pan 76 from fluidoutlet aperture 24. Reverse flow of fluid from pan 76 is prevented by an umbrella-type flapper valve 94 which is connected to bottom wall 78 by a stem 96 passing through an aperture 98 provided in sparger ring 88.

Accessory 10 also includes a thin, flexible foodsimulating member 100, which may be suitably decorated to simulate a particular item of food, like the egg shown herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, and which is adapted to lie substantially flat on bottom wall 78 of pan 76. Food-simulating member 100 may be sealed to bottom wall 78 by a water layer 102 retained in pan 76 by valve 94. Fluid entering pan 76 through apertures 90, 92 unseats valve 94 and accumulates under food-simulating member 100 until the fluid pressure exceeds the sealing force exerted by water layer 102 on the peripheral edge 104 of foodsimulating member 102 causing edge 104 to move to the broken line position shown in FIG. 2 whereupon a few fluid bubbles 106 will escape from beneath foodsimulating member 100 and pass upwardly through water layer 102 causing it to appear to be boiling. The escape of bubbles 106 reduces the pressure beneath food-simulating member 100 permitting water layer 102 to again seal edge 104 until the pressure again builds up beneath food-simulating member 100, whereupon the bubble-escaping cycle is repeated. Thus, bubbles will continue to escape from the edge 104 of foodsimulating member 100 so long as fluid under pressure is being supplied by blower 36. This causes foodsimulating member 100 and water layer 102 to be agitated simulating the frying of food in a layer of cooking oil.

In use, switch 64 may be closed to complete a circuit to motor 46 which rotates impeller 38 causing air under pressure to flow through blower outlet 34, conduit 28, inlet 26, aperture 24, and sparger ring 88 into pan 76.

Air under pressure will then build up under foodsimulating member 100 until the pressure exerted by water layer 102 on peripheral edge 104 of member 100 is exceeded whereupon bubbles 106 will escape along edge 104 until the pressure under member 100 is reduced below the pressure exerted by water layer 102. Pressure will again build up under member 100 until the pressure exerted by water layer 102 is exceeded whereupon bubbles 106 will again escape from edge 104. These bubbles will cyclically escape so long as blower 36 continues supplying air under pressure. These escaping bubbles will agitate food-simulating member 100 and water layer 102 giving the appearance of food cooking in cooking oil.

it will be obvious that the food simulating member 100 must be not only flexible but substantially air impervious so that bubbles of air then accumulate thereunder without passing through the same until the temporary seal provided by the water. at the edge of the member, can be broken.

While the particular pneumatic toy stove accessory herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of thepresently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims which form a part of this disclosure. Whenever the term means is employed in these claims, this term is to be interpreted as defining the corresponding structure illustrated and described in this specification or the equivalent of the same.

What is claimed is:

l. A pneumatic toy stove accessory, comprising:

simulated cooking vessel means having a substantially flat bottom wall;

fluid inlet means provided in said bottom wall;

a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying flat on said bottom wall and completely covering said fluid inlet means;

means releasably sealing at least the peripheral edge of said food-simulating member against said bottom wall; and

pump means in fluid communication with said fluid inlet means for supplying fluid thereto, said fluid being trapped under said food-simulating member until a predetermined fluid pressure is exceeded whereupon at least a portion of said seal is released and at least one fluid bubble escapes from said edge and said edge is again sealed until said predetermined pressure is again exceeded causing at least another bubble to escape, whereby escaping bubbles agitate said food-simulating member to simulate frying of said member in said simulated cooking vessel means.

2. An accessory as stated in claim 1 wherein said sealing means comprises a layer of water in said cookingvessel means and wherein said accessory includes valve means preventing reverse flow of water through said fluid inlet means.

3. An accessory as stated in claim 1 wherein said food-simulating member is decorated to simulate an article of food frying in said simulated cooking-vessel means.

4. In combination with a pneumatic toy stove having a fluid outlet and pump means supplying air under pressure to said outlet. a simulated cooking-vessel toy, comprising:

a pan having a substantially flat bottom wall;

a sparger ring provided in said bottom wall for admitting fluid under pressure to said pan, said sparger ring being releasably connected to said fluid outlet on said pneumatic stove for supplying fluid under pressure to said pan;

a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying flat on said bottom wall and completely covering said sparger ring; and

means releasably sealing at least the peripheral edge of said food-simulating member against said bottom wall, said pump means supplying fluid under sufficient pressure to temporarily release said seal causing bubbles to escape from beneath said foodsimulating member, thereby agitating said foodsimulating member in a fashion to simulate the frying of said member in said pan.

5. A combination as stated in claim 4 wherein said sealing means comprises a layer of water in said pan. 

1. A pneumatic toy stove accessory, comprising: simulated cooking vessel means having a substantially flat bottom wall; fluid inlet means provided in said bottom wall; a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying flat on said bottom wall and completely covering said fluid inlet means; means releasably sealing at least the peripheral edge of said food-simulating member against said bottom wall; and pump means in fluid communication with said fluid inlet means for supplying fluid thereto, said fluid being trapped under said food-simulating member until a predetermined fluid pressure is exceeded whereupon at least a portion of said seal is released and at least one fluid bubble escapes from said edge and said edge is again sealed until said predetermined pressure is again exceeded causing at least another bubble to escape, whereby escaping bubbles agitate said food-simulating member to simulate frying of said member in said simulated cooking vessel means.
 2. An accessory as stated in claim 1 wherein said sealing means comprises a layer of water in said cooking-vessel means and wherein said accessory includes valve means preventing reverse flow of water through said fluid inlet means.
 3. An accessory as stated in claim 1 wherein said food-simulating member is decorated to simulate an article of food frying in said simulated cooking-vessel means.
 4. In combination with a pneumatic toy stove having a fluid outlet and pump means supplying air under pressure to said outlet, a simulated cooking-vessel toy, comprising: a pan having a substantially flat bottom wall; a sparger ring provided in said bottom wall for admitting fluid under pressure to said pan, said sparger ring being releasably connected to said fluid outlet on said pneumatic stove for supplying fluid under pressure to said pan; a thin, flexible food-simulating member lying flat on said bottom wall and completely covering said sparger ring; and means releasably sealing at least the peripheral edge of said food-simulating member against said bottom wall, said pump means supplying fluid under sufficient pressure to temporarily release said seal causing bubbles to escape from benEath said food-simulating member, thereby agitating said food-simulating member in a fashion to simulate the frying of said member in said pan.
 5. A combination as stated in claim 4 wherein said sealing means comprises a layer of water in said pan. 